On Sept. 10, the 25,000-plus members of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union walked off their jobs, abandoning their 350,000 students in the process. Instead of teaching, they took to the streets to try to wring more money from the city, among other sundry demands. The union originally asked for a 30 percent salary increase for teachers who already make an average of more than $70,000 per year.

In the end, the union won a still-generous 16 percent increase over four years from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, among other concessions, bringing the teachers back to the classroom on Sept. 19.

What to make of the union's demands, now that the strike is (seemingly) over?

[Paul] Krugman's celebration of obsolescence does ring true in one way. It is innovation -- which sometimes, but not always, makes products obsolete as a consequence (it can also make existing products more efficient) -- that drives the end of recessions. Yet, the current bloated regulatory state that Krugman also celebrates is an enemy of innovation. Regulations make it difficult to start a business, difficult to find money to finance a business, and difficult to bring a product to market. >

As Americans celebrated the 225th anniversary of the Constitution's signing this Monday, thousands of new citizens at naturalization ceremonies across the country celebrated being Americans for the first time. Naturalization is among the Constitution's greatest contributions to the idea of "America." This simple clause upheld a radical new understanding of citizenship, one that was not to be based on race or birth-it was something you could become.